


Metanoia

by yannayanyan



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-12-23 06:09:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11983785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yannayanyan/pseuds/yannayanyan
Summary: A Peasant swept the Emperor off his feet with an unexpected adventure. A Light fell in love with a Shadow who loves someone else.Take my handTake my whole life tooFor I can't help falling in love with you





	Metanoia

> _Take me by the hand, take me somewhere new_  
>  _I don't know who you are but I'm with you_  
>  _-I'm With You, Avril Lavigne_

 

Seijuuro looked at all the guests chattering from the second floor of their mansion in the Akashi Manor. He glanced at his father talking to several of his tycoon acquaintances. He knows that anytime now, his father will be looking for him so he will be introduced to some of his closest business partners.

At the age of 17, Seijuuro already knows how to close a deal with another company that will benefit Akashi Corp.

"How are you, Sei-kun?"

Seijuuro did not flinched when his teal-haired childhood friend suddenly appeared beside him. He was used to the other boy's ghost-like presence ever since they were kids. And somehow, he could see Tetsuya despite him being similar to a phantom.

"I'm okay, I guess," Seijuuro answered, looking at how his father talked to another tycoon who has his daughter by his side. "Just preparing for a boring session of meeting businessmen and talking about company stocks."

Tetsuya looked at Akashi Sr. "I think you are being arranged with a daughter of a businessman."

"That, too," Seijuuro said in resignation. "My father has been setting me up with several children of wealthy businessmen. It's actually really tiring."

"Why don't you just find a girlfriend or boyfriend?"

"I don't know someone who I want to be with," Seijuuro said. He looked at Tetsuya. "Romance may be the least important on my goals but I still take relationships seriously."

Tetsuya glanced at Seijuuro who was looking at the entirety of the hall below them. His grip on the railings tightened as what Seijuuro said replayed on his mind. If Seijuuro did not know someone who he wants to be with, what about Tetsuya? Did Seijuuro never thought of him as someone he could romantically be with?

Tetsuya's heart clenched. How could his feelings for the redhead ever be returned?

The Kurokos are not as wealthy as the Akashis but they are still wealthy, nonetheless. They both grew up in a rich environment but both their parents have different ways of teaching and caring for their children.

Watching Seijuuro learn everything that needs to be learned made Tetsuya sad. At a young age, Seijuuro was taught to excel in all areas. He made it a promise to always be there for Seijuuro --- to be his friend, to be his shoulder to lean on, to be the person he could turn to, and to be his number one supporter. He was pained at the thought of Seijuuro being alone when they transferred to Tokyo from Kyoto. Seijuuro never got to have the childhood he had wherein he could play with his neighbors in Tokyo.

Seijuuro had eye-contact with his father from where he is standing and he knows that it is imperative for him to entertain the guests.

"I need to go," Seijuuro said.

Tetsuya smiled at him. "If you are finished with your business, you could always find me. I'll be in the guest room."

The redhead smiled and nodded, thankful for having a childhood friend just like Tetsuya.

As Seijuuro went down the spiral staircase, his fond smile for Tetsuya disappeared and was replaced by a business-like expression. He knows he needed to smile to the guests but those are only fake. And besides, all they ever talk are serious matters about business. There is nothing to smile about.

Seijuuro was the picture of a perfect heir as he met businessmen. He was on his best behavior that is to be expected in an Akashi. He carried off an aura of an Emperor, and despite his young age, he could socialize with people older than him.

He was introduced to a beautiful heiress. He smiled politely at her as he tried his best not to let his distaste at her arrogance show. The more time he spent with the girl, the more he wanted to just be alone and hide from all the people he needs to interact with.

He knows that everyone in this party are looking at him very closely so that when he makes a single mistake, they can ridicule him for it. As if he will let them see him make a mistake. He is absolute, after all.

Seijuuro waited for his alarm to start vibrating in his pocket so he can use it as a reason so he can excuse himself from his conversation with the arrogant heiress.

He fished out his cellphone from his coat pocket and looked at it. Perfectly hiding the screen from the girl so she cannot see that it is just an alarm.

"Excuse me," he said. "I need to answer this call."

The girl nodded. "No problem."

He bowed his head at her before going out of the hall and straight to the garden where a gazebo was located. He looked at his cellphone and turned off the alarm.

At the silence of the garden, he relaxed and sighed. Finally, he is alone. He did not have to put a mask and be on-guard all the time.

He closed his eyes and basked in the serene atmosphere in the garden. The darkness made him calm. He listened to the even rhythm of his heartbeat. And somehow, the thought of being alone made him warm despite the cold wind of December.

These moments of tranquility are one of the things he treasures the most.

"Happy birthday."

Seijuuro opened his eyes at the unfamiliar voice who ruined the silence in the garden.

He turned to the entrance of the gazebo to find a man --- around his age, he guesses --- looking at him.

"That is the reason for today's party, right?" he asked the redhead.

The man was raven-haired who has a pair of striking silver eyes. Seijuuro noted that what the man wore is similar to the outfit of the waiters in his party.

"What are you doing here?" Seijuuro asked, ignoring the other's question.

"What are _you_ doing here?" the other asked in return, casually sitting in front of him in the gazebo.

A small frown etched itself on Seijuuro's forehead. "Who are you?"

"My name is not important," he shrugged.

Seijuuro just stared at the man intently, waiting for him to introduce himself.

The raven head looked at him for a moment before transferring his gaze to the night sky. "What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet."

Throwing a Shakespeare line at Seijuuro did not amused the redhead heir. Is this stranger making fun of him? How dare him.

The stranger looked back at Seijuuro before saying, "Frowning does not suit you, kiddo."

What he said made him frown even more. "I'm not a kid."

"You are," the other said. "You are celebrating your 17th birthday today. Still a minor."

"So I suppose you aren't a minor?"

"I'm 18."

"Just because you are a year older than me does not give you the right to call me a kid," Seijuuro declared. "No one is allowed to call me a kid."

The stranger just stared at him, unfazed by the authority in Seijuuro's voice.

"You are such a brat," the silver-eyed stranger blankly stated.

Seijuuro's eyebrow twitched minutely when he was called a brat by a mere stranger. Did he not know who he is calling a brat? He _is_ an Akashi.

The other man must have found the sight of Seijuuro controlling his temper amusing. The moonlight made the other's silver eyes shine brighter.

The stranger smiled at Seijuuro in amusement. And somehow, his smile and the twinkle in his eyes made Seijuuro pause and stare at the stranger.

Seijuuro looked at the stranger's eyes. It reminded him of how his mother looked at him when she was still alive. The stranger is looking at the redhead as a person --- not in admiration, not in envy, not in hatred, not waiting for a moment of weakness, not a wealthy heir, not as an Emperor but as a person.

The way those silver eyes looked at him as a human --- not a trophy to show others and not someone perfect --- made him stop.

"What is the birthday celebrant doing here?"

Seijuuro leaned back and answered, "A party for my birthday? That's just an excuse for my father to meet all of his business partners and acquaintances in a casual setting."

"So your birthday is not actually celebrated properly?"

Seijuuro remembered how he celebrated his birthday when his mother was still alive. It was just the three of them --- his father, his mother, and him --- but it was heartwarming and perfect. Compared to his birthday parties now, he would prefer those simple birthday parties in a heartbeat.

"You don't look happy."

The stranger's voice woke him up from his thoughts. He looked at the raven who has a frown on his forehead.

"Every person in the world should be happy on their birthday."

"That's so idealistic." _And childish._

Seijuuro looked at the stranger's eyes and was confused when he saw concern in them.

"I don't care if it's idealistic but everyone should be happy on their birthday," the stranger insisted.

"If you are telling me to go back to the party, I won't," Seijuuro said. "They won't even notice if I am missing. My presence isn't that much needed."

The stranger looked at the night sky before smiling as if he thought of an idea. He then looked at Seijuuro with a grin, "Do you have a curfew?"

"Why?"

"Just answer, damn it."

Seijuuro noticed that the other has a short temper. "Twelve midnight."

The raven head snorted. "Are you Cinderella or something?"

Seijuuro glared at him but the stranger was unfazed and instead stood up from his seat. He grinned and grabbed Seijuuro's wrist before pulling the latter on his feet.

"What are you doing?" Seijuuro demanded. When the other started pulling him away from the gazebo, he asked, "Where are you taking me?"

They both stopped as the ravenhead turned to look at him, his right hand still holding Seijuuro's wrist. "We are going to have fun."

Seijuuro just blankly stared at him.

"Today is your birthday so we should make it memorable," the other elaborated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

" _We?_  I don't go with strangers."

The stranger facepalmed and took deep breaths to calm himself. "Just trust me, brat. You do give off the aura of a royalty, you know. But to be a good ruler of a kingdom, you need to see and learn how peasants live. So you need to get out of your castle and have an adventure outside of it."

"I don't trust strangers," Seijuuro said, still not budging despite how a part of him wanted the thrill of trusting the promise of adventure.

The stranger almost rolled his eyes as he sighed. "You are really a brat."

Seijuuro waited for him to introduce his self. The raven straightened up and let go of Seijuuro's wrist. He cleared his throat and looked straight into the redhead's ruby eyes.

"My name is Nijimura Shuuzo," he held out his hand.

Seijuuro looked at those silver eyes as he accepted his hand for a handshake and said, "Akashi Seijuuro."

* * *

 

"This is where the fun starts."

They stood in front of a loud place full of gaming machines. A lot of teenagers were playing loudly while others were dancing on one side trying to copy the moves on the screen.

"This is an arcade," Shuuzo said. "Judging from your look, this must be your first time in an arcade."

"What is this place?"

"This is where you play a lot of games, Your Highness."

"That is childish."

The raven shrugged as he grinned. "Who cares if it's childish, it's fun anyway."

Shuuzo started pointing at different machines and explaining how to play them. He told Seijuuro what games are popular and what games he liked the most.

"Where do you want to start?" Shuuzo asked after they bought tokens.

Seijuuro pointed at the Quiz Game, "There."

Shuuzo sweatdropped at the redhead's boring choice. Seriously, a quiz game out of all the games in the arcade?

The redhead sat on one of the chairs as the quiz started. Shuuzo watched as Seijuuro answered most of them correctly but when the redhead answered wrong, he was amused to see an almost childish pout on the redhead.

They played hockey in which both grew very competitive. In the end, Seijuuro won the most out of all the games of hockey they played. They also played Tekken where much to Seijuuro's frustration, Shuuzo seemed to be unbeatable at the game. They were both tied when they played a racing game.

Both of them were on different basketball machines. They played against each other when Shuuzo pressed the Link button. They started shooting balls to the hoop when the basketballs were released.

Shuuzo noticed that Seijuuro is good at basketball and the latter's score surpassed his. He shot a ball to Seijuuro's side that collided with the ball the redhead just shot. Seijuuro looked at him and he just grinned then continued shooting balls in his own hoop.

Seijuuro did the same to Shuuzo. He shot a ball to Shuuzo's side so it will collide with the ball the latter just shot. He smirked at the annoyed look the older man gave him. He was sure he had that look directed to the raven few moments ago.

Shuuzo's annoyed glare was fake and it completely faded when he saw the redhead smile at him. He leisurely shot balls to the hoop as he watched Seijuuro have fun.

In the end, Seijuuro had a bigger score than Shuuzo.

"There is a karaoke room," Shuuzo pointed.

"Karaoke?"

Shuuzo held Seijuuro's wrist and dragged him towards the karaoke rooms in the arcade. They entered one room and Shuuzo immediately connected one microphone to the machine.

"I don't sing," Seijuuro said when he saw the songbook Shuuzo held out to him.

"Just one song and we'll go to our next destination."

Seijuuro shook his head. "I'm the birthday celebrant so why don't you sing for me?"

Shuuzo stared at Seijuuro for a moment before sighing. "As you wish, Your Highness."

When Shuuzo says _Your Highness,_ Seijuuro knows that it is not meant as an insult. It feels as if the raven is just teasing him and that in itself is new to him. Seijuuro never really had anyone he can tease or who will tease him. He indeed has Tetsuya as a childhood friend but the bluenette is as stoic as ever unlike Shuuzo who is someone very casual yet very charismatic.

The tune of a familiar English song started. It seems that Shuuzo has a habit of surprising Seijuuro. He was surprised when Shuuzo sang fluently in English but more than that, he was amazed at how good Shuuzo is at singing.

Seijuuro did not expect for Shuuzo's voice to be so calming and smooth. The way Shuuzo talks in casual roughness and his short temper sometimes seeps in the tone of his voice made the drastic change of tone in his voice more surprising.

_"When everything's meant to be broken,"_ Shuuzo sang. _"I just want you to know who I am."_

Seijuuro could not help but clap his hands for the raven. The smile that Shuuzo gave him afterwards was absolutely stunning; it made him feel warm.

* * *

 

Seijuuro stared at the poor excuse of food in his hands. He looked at Shuuzo who was currently enjoying eating the food which the raven bought for the two of them.

"Stop looking at it like it's dirt," said Shuuzo before taking another bite of his burger.

When Seijuuro still stared at the burger in his hands, Shuuzo sighed and bit on the redhead's burger. Seijuuro stared at him with surprise in his eyes.

"There is no poison in it," Shuuzo shrugged. "I've been eating in Maji Burger ever since I can remember so you don't have to worry about getting virus or having sickness."

Seijuuro wanted to point out that Shuuzo just ate from his burger. That is just plain rude for him but seeing as how this must be normal for other people, he just took a chance and took a bite in his burger.

Despite how it looks, the burger tastes good. Before Seijuuro knows it, he just finished his burger. He then proceeded to drink the vanilla shake that Shuuzo ordered for him. The vanilla flavor reminded him of Tetsuya since his childhood friend is very weak when it comes to vanilla.

At the corner of his eyes, Seijuuro noticed Shuuzo staring at him. The raven was looking at him with a proud smile while sipping his own drink.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing," Shuuzo said. "I'm just glad that you finished your food."

"Where are we going next?" Seijuuro asked as he looked around the park they are currently in.

There was a giant Christmas Tree at the center of the park where a lot of people are taking pictures. Christmas carols are also heard everywhere. The different Christmas lights lighted up the place. Some people were wearing Santa Claus costumes and children were very eager to take pictures with them. Oher benches were occupied mostly by couples.

Seijuuro blinked his eyes when he noticed that mostly everyone in the park are couples. He knew about couples meeting up on Christmas but he never really knew firsthand how it feels like to be in a place full of couples.

"There is an event nearby that I want to attend but never had the chance to because I helped my cousin. That's why I ended up being a waiter in your birthday party," Shuuzo shared.

A child tripped near them and immediately, Shuuzo was on his feet to help the kid up. The child started crying but the mother was already by the child's side. The mother thanked Shuuzo and walked away.

Seijuuro followed the mother and son with his eyes as he remembered how his mother used to hugged him when he cried. He suddenly missed his mother; her warmth, her voice, her smile, her gentle touches, her laugh, her hugs.

Seijuuro was startled when a cold hand grabbed his and pulled him up his feet. He was suddenly dragged by Shuuzo to a fake Santa.

"He will take a picture with you," Shuuzo told the fake Santa.

Seijuuro's eyes widened. "I will not do such a childish thing," he whispered.

Shuuzo pretended he did not hear Seijuuro and instead held out his hand as he said, "Give me your phone."

"I will not ---"

"Come on, it's just one picture with Santa, brat."

" **I. Am. Not. A. Brat.** "

"You are."

"I'm not."

Shuuzo sighed and looked at him in resignation. "Why don't the two of us take a picture with Santa? Is that okay?"

"Why are you insisting that I take a picture with Santa?"

"Because you suddenly looked sad," Shuuzo answered honestly.

Once again, Shuuzo surprised Seijuuro. His honest answer shot straight to Seijuuro's heart and made it skip a beat.

It would have touched Seijuuro if only Shuuzo didn't add, "And Santa makes kids smile."

Seijuuro held out his phone from his pocket and gave it to Shuuzo. The raven stretched out his hand so they could take a selfie with Santa. He found himself smiling genuinely despite his initial reluctance in taking a picture.

Shuuzo handed him the cellphone back. "That was not so bad."

Seijuuro looked at the picture and smiled.

"See, you're smiling again," Shuuzo pointed out. "Smiling suits you."

* * *

 

"Battle of the bands?"

Shuuzo nodded. "I love music, you see."

Seijuuro guessed that much from the karaoke and from the time Shuuzo hummed along the Christmas carols.

"Are you part of a band?" Seijuuro asked.

"Yeah. We often perform in parks just because we want to perform in front of people. We're more of like street performers, I guess."

"Are you the vocalist?"

"Nah. There is someone better than me in singing, not that I'm good at it. Also vocalists are the face of the band so it must be someone good-looking."

Seijuuro glanced momentarily at Shuuzo and he admitted that the older man is handsome. He could also say that with the raven-head's voice, he could perfectly be the vocalist. It seems that Shuuzo does not have enough confidence in himself.

It's not that Seijuuro is not interested in music --- in fact, he is but he leans more in the classical genre --- but he finds watching Shuuzo more interesting than listening to the bands play.

Shuuzo's expressions amused Seijuuro. Despite only meeting the raven a few hours ago, he knows that Shuuzo is short-tempered. He has the vibe of a senpai taking care of their kouhai from the way he calls him a brat while being insistent. He also has a somewhat permanent scowl on his face but when he is enjoying something, his smiles --- whether they are an amused smile or a wide grin --- are stunning.

What Seijuuro likes the most is the way Shuuzo's eyes twinkle. Those silver eyes shine like the stars. The sight is simply breath-taking.

* * *

 

"What is this?"

"That's a coin," Shuuzo deadpanned.

"I know," Seijuuro said, staring at the coin on his hand. "What for?"

"You make a wish."

Seijuuro looked up at Shuuzo with confusion in his eyes. "I don't understand."

"You are supposed to make a wish after you blow your birthday cake but your birthday cake was sliced directly in the kitchen without the guests having the chance to get a glimpse of it."

"I didn't even had the chance to see it," Seijuuro murmured.

Shuuzo stared at the redhead and felt sad for the brat. "You make a wish here in the fountain instead."

"That's just..."

"Are you going to say it is childish?"

Seijuuro saw those silver eyes daring him to answer but instead he faced the wishing fountain and closed his eyes. After making a wish, he threw the coin to the fountain.

He turned to his side to see Shuuzo calmly throwing the coin to the fountain with a small smile on his lips. The raven turned to him and the smile still remained on his lips.

"Our adventure is almost coming to its end, Your Highness," Shuuzo said. "But before it ends, we need to do something."

Seijuuro followed Shuuzo around the busy night of Kyoto where people are getting excited on the upcoming Christmas. They walked side-by-side and it may be nothing special to other people but for Seijuuro it was.

They entered a shop full of trinkets and other accessories. Seijuuro was amazed at the place. He got interested with all the small items in the shop. The price tags surprised him. He is not one who has a habit of looking at price tags but the cheap price of the items were shocking to him.

_Like a river flows to the sea_  
_So it goes_  
_Some things are meant to be_

Shuuzo immediately went to the section of the keychains while humming the song played in the shop. He turned to the young heir who was looking around the shop and smiled at how child-like he is despite him being upset about being called a brat. He transferred to the cellphone straps and a certain strap immediately caught his eye.

Shuuzo grabbed the strap with a musical note dangling on it. He went to the cashier and paid the item. He chuckled when Seijuuro looked at the different anime character keychains.

"Let's go."

Seijuuro nodded and followed Shuuzo out of the shop. Somehow, he wants the walk back to the Akashi Manor to be long. Shuuzo is not much of a talker and so is Seijuuro so they spent the walk back in silence.

The nearer they got to the Akashi Manor, the heavier Seijuuro's footsteps are. He does not want this night to end. When they stopped in front of the big gates of the Akashi Manor, Seijuuro did not want to go inside. Going inside the Akashi Manor is like going into another world.

But the end of this wonderful adventure is inevitable. They went inside and walked back to the gazebo --- the place where they first met.

They stood side-by-side at the gazebo. Seijuuro looked at the garden and then to the door that leads to the hall where his party was held. The party is still on-going despite it being close to midnight.

_The party is still alive even with the birthday celebrant's absence,_ Seijuuro bitterly thought. _That just shows how unimportant I am._

A cellphone strap appeared in front of him as he stared at the mansion. Seijuuro turned to Shuuzo who dangled the strap in his hand.

Shuuzo grinned, "Happy birthday."

When Seijuuro just continued staring at Shuuzo, the latter's short temper flared a bit and he put the cellphone strap on the redhead's hand.

"That's my gift."

"...why?"

Shuuzo scowled. "It's your birthday obviously."

Seijuuro stared at the cellphone strap on his hand. He knows that the gift is cheap and was just bought in a cheap trinkets store but it is so much more valuable than any of the gifts he received.

Seijuuro looked at Shuuzo and smiled genuinely. "Thank you very much."

Shuuzo was surprised at the genuine smile directed to him. He averted his gaze and scratched his cheek. "You deserve to receive a gift that was chosen with the thought of you, not just some obligatory gift given to you like what those businessmen inside your mansion did."

Seijuuro suddenly felt warm and happy at the words of Shuuzo. He could not express how grateful he is for the time of freedom Shuuzo had given him.

"Thank you for everything. Our adventure was wonderful." Seijuuro held the cellphone strap with a musical note dangling on it on his hand. "It was great. We were great. You are great."

Shuuzo chuckled and reached out his hand to ruffle the shorter man's hair. "You're welcome, brat. Just remember to live your life the way you want it."

Seijuuro was shocked at Shuuzo's actions. He never felt such a casual gesture of having his hair ruffled affectionately. He could feel his cheeks get warm.

The moment Shuuzo's touch disappeared, he looked up to see the raven walk away from him. He watched Shuuzo walk away with a heavy heart. He doesn't want this night with the stranger he met in this gazebo a few hours ago end.

Shuuzo turned around as he reached the door leading to the party hall. He smiled at Seijuuro one last time before going inside.

Seijuuro was looking at the door so intently that he failed to notice the bluenette hiding behind the bushes in the garden. Tetsuya was walking around the garden when he noticed Seijuuro and a stranger walk to the gazebo. He ended up watching the whole scene between an emperor and a stranger.

The redhead stared at the door where Shuuzo entered just moments ago with a feeling he can't point out.

He feels empty.

Something inside him is missing.

_It is his heart._


End file.
